Both the events of September 11 and the threat of anti-western resentment being stirred by planned US reprisals are reminders that companies must plan for the security of their travellers. It is by no means the case that all have such programmes in place. "This crisis is flushing out a few companies," says Jerry Parr, an aviation consultant for Air Partner, the air charter broker, whose division Rapid Air Support specialises in emergency repatriation for corporate clients. "It is obvious which businesses have a coherent strategy and which are saying 'what do we do now?' We have been getting a lot of calls from Pakistan and the Middle East, where there are still organisations which should know better but have done nothing."

Control Risks Group, an overseas security consultancy, finds few large corporations have no security strategy but director Christopher Grose fears many have created only token programmes that they are failing to monitor and implement regularly. "We also find that the speed at which companies are restructuring, merging, demerging and acquiring has increased the problem of communicating policies and sharing them among different cultures," he says.

The absence of coherent security planning is more pronounced among smaller companies, which do not have internal security departments and are reluctant to invest in programmes that may never be needed. Kevin Keable, an oil and gas industry consultant, encountered first-hand experience of this when he was dispatched to Indonesia during a violent election campaign in the early 1990s. "No one had warned me and it was very scary," he says. "When oil workers are sent to offshore platforms, they are made to dress up in survival suits and given intensive safety training, but then the same company lets them jump on an aircraft to Pakistan or Nigeria without any warnings about security."

Experts have suggested several measures specifically relevant to the present crisis. These include avoiding indirect flights and protecting Muslim, Arab and Sikh employees who face a xenophobic backlash in western countries. In the long term, there are three main elements to a traveller security strategy: obtaining and communicating reliable intelligence; tracking the whereabouts of travellers; and laying contingency plans for emergency evacuation. Information posted by the US State Department (www.travel.state. gov) and the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office (www.fco.gov.uk) provides a reliable, basic guide to the security status of each country but companies need more detailed knowledge to fit their individual profiles and the locations visited by their employees. There are many sources to gather such information, not least from internal security departments and employees on the ground. Businesses in potentially dangerous countries often pool intelligence and liaise closely with their local embassy or consulate.

Specialist consultancies, such as Control Risks, Kroll International and Pinkerton, provide detailed information, protection and even personnel who handle kidnap situations. Shaken by his experience in Indonesia, Mr Keable made employing one such consultancy a priority when he became managing director of an oil industry company. The consultancy gave him regular briefings and provided armed bodyguards during a visit to Algiers at a dangerous time. Using its services, he says, gave him confidence to visit somewhere he would otherwise have avoided. "FCO advice is often not to visit a destination but business has to go on. If you retain a security consultancy, you can ask what are the realistic risks," says Mr Keable. "When we went to Algiers, we were met at the airport and taken to destinations in an armoured bus. I was enjoying myself by the end."

Companies must not only procure intelligence but review it often and set up mechanisms to respond rapidly, such as instructing travel agents to refuse bookings by employees to countries deemed too dangerous. In larger companies, this involves ensuring the right departments within the company are liaising, including travel, health and safety, human resources and security. Equally important is communication of advice to travellers, both about security and the culture of the countries they visit. "All employees should receive awareness training," says the international security chief for a big American bank. "There is always the risk when novices travel that they will think every country is going to be like their own. There is the risk too of seasoned travellers becoming blase."

The scramble to locate employees on September 11 also brought home the need for systems to keep tabs on travellers. "The information needs to be given both to the traveller's own office and to the location they are visiting," says Ian Hall, director of travel for Unilever in Europe. "It is not good enough for travellers simply to tell one or two colleagues where they are going. Company policies should state that as part of the travel process employees must complete a form which gives details not only of their flight and hotel but their movements within the country."

Making plans for emergency repatriation may also seem too bureaucratic but there will be many companies in the coming days that will feel glad to have made the effort.

Rapid Air Support guarantees priority in chartering emergency private aircraft to clients that retain it on a rolling basis. It also helps them to prepare detailed evacuation plans, such as identifying the airports from which evacuees will fly and establishing safe places to stay if they must wait for a flight out. Once again, staff in potentially dangerous areas must be versed in precautions. This includes having one small bag packed ready for departure at a moment's notice, as well as a stash of hard currency in case palms have to be greased. The company's strategy should include a plan for phased withdrawal, starting with relatives, non-essential equipment and documents before moving on to non-essential staff and finally essential staff.

Timing is vital since a premature or unnecessary withdrawal can undermine a company's credibility as a committed player in the region. Leaving too late has more grave consequences still. "Withdrawing is a difficult decision that should be taken as late as possible and as high up the company as possible," says Mr Parr.

Companies with an organised evacuation plan have more latitude when making this choice. In the days, weeks and months ahead, there will be few certainties for business travellers abroad or at home but it is incumbent upon companies to minimise the risks to which their employees are exposed.

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